A conveyor system for conveying small articles often includes an inclined conveyor section for transferring articles from one level to another. When the incline is relatively shallow, generally below 30.degree., a flat belt can be used in the inclined conveyor section to convey the articles between the lower and upper levels. However, if the incline is relatively steep, a cleated conveyor is normally used in which cleats are mounted on the working surface of the conveyor belt and extend transversely of the belt.
In the past, the inclined configuration has been provided by utilizing separate lower, inclined and upper conveyors. The use of separate conveyors requires a separate drive system for each conveyor including a motor and transmission, as well as a structural tie-in between the independent conveyors. The use of independent drive systems for each conveyor can substantially increase the overall cost of the conveyor system.
As a further problem, the ends of the independent conveyors in the inclined system are normally in overlapping relation, and if cleated conveyors are utilized, the overlap may be several inches in height to accommodate the cleats. As articles pass across the overlapping junction between the conveyors, they may tumble and loose orientation on the conveyor.
To eliminate the problems and the cost associated with the use of separate conveyors in an inclined system, it has been proposed to use a single belt which travels from the lower conveyor section to the inclined section and then to the higher elevation section. In a system using a single belt, the belt passes through an inside corner in moving from the lower conveyor section to the inclined section, and in order to maintain the belt against the conveyor bed, hold down rollers are normally employed at the inside corner to hold the belt against the conveyor bed. With a single belt conveyor of this type, pivotal adjustment of the inclined conveyor section is normally made around the axis of the hold-down roller and an adjustment of the inclined conveyor section will change the belt length in the return run, with the result that a large capacity belt tensioning mechanism is required. Further, as the conveyor sections pivot relative to each other about the axis of the hold-down roller, there is a lack of structural tie-in between the frames of the two conveyor sections which requires additional reinforcement to maintain the structural integrity of the conveyor at this location.